To Kill a Grey Man

by D C Stansfield

  “I have no choice. I will not sit here and be hunted,” he replied. “I am going to put out a private contract on all of them and then hope I can clean the mess up afterwards. The worst case for me will be a reprimand and to lose my job, possible exiled to my country estate. No way will the British Government put me on trial.”

  “What should I do?” said John Sea.

  “I would suggest you bring in every murdering bastard you can find and wait for them to come to you. Remember these are three old men and a boy. Do not phone me again unless you have their bodies. We have never talked. I do not know you.” The phone went dead.

  John Sea was alone.

  Sir Thomas sat at his desk. He had the resources of all of the British Secret Service at his disposal but knew you could never be safe from a determined assassin especially one as good as this who was backed up by the greatest intelligence brain he had ever met. He put a call into a secret group that had done work for him outside the constraints of The Firm and placed the contract.

  He then called Hugh McDonald, “How are you getting on?”

  “Good,” said Hugh. “We have had some problems. We wrecked two major computer systems but are now attacking the core using standalone computers. So far five are down but we are learning more each time. It is quite ingenious. The Grey Man has invented a whole new level of security. It appears it can detect our approach, then instruct our computers to wipe themselves clean. We thought at first it was a virus but it isn’t. It is a piece of software that attaches itself to ours then takes over. Truly clever.”

  “How long before you break in and we can control everything?” asked Sir Thomas.

  “No more than five or six days, a week tops,” said Hugh.

  “You have twenty four hours at best before The Grey Man comes after you,” said Sir Thomas.

  “I will see what can be done,” said Sir Hugh.

  Chapter 23

  Hideout

  After dropping off the doctor, Collins turned the car towards London.

  “How long do you think we have before he is picked up?” said Surge.

  “Thirty minutes at most,” said Collins. “They will have all train stations and airports covered. He knows nothing and interrogating him will take some time and then they will waste more turning over the Swanage address. Time enough for us to disappear I think.”

  He drove up the M3 towards London. At Sunbury he turned off the motorway driving past Kempton Park race course and towards Hampton Court Palace. He took a left through Bushy Park where Henry VIII used to hunt and where deer still roam. Then he turned left and left again until he passed the world renowned National Physical Laboratory or NPL. On either side of the road were large houses pressed closely together. He slowed down until he saw a small driveway on the right flanked by two large grey pillars, just wide enough for the Range Rover. He turned into this and drove one hundred yards and turned right until he was behind the house that fronted onto the road. After a couple of hundred yards he turned left, in front of him was a huge old house with enough parking in front for at least twenty cars and a big wooden garage attached to the side. The house was almost on its own island. Originally it had owned all the land that surrounded it but had sold that off to build the other houses, leaving it tucked away in the centre with just a small driveway in and out, invisible from either of the main roads. The neighbouring gardens all backed onto the house giving around a thirty foot walk way around the house at the back and the big parking space at the front. Large pine trees with branches down to the floor were planted all round the edge so close together they looked like one giant hedge surrounding the property and gave complete privacy. The trees stopped any nosy neighbours from prying. From the ground it would be invisible.

  Surge jumped out and opened the huge garage and Collins drove in. There was another car parked there covered with a dust sheet. Surge removed it to discover a three year old, seven series BMW in a dark metallic blue. They took everything from the Range Rover and Surge and Jonathan used the dust sheet to cover it up.

  The Grey Man asked Collins to remove a brick from the back wall and inside in a small, leather bag was the keys to the house.

  The house was mid-Victorian, built around eighteen sixty, square fronted with the door in the middle and two large bay windows downstairs and three sash windows upstairs.

  They went through the ornate porch and the heavy dark blue, wooden front door into a hallway with parquet tiled flooring and dark wooden paneling. Two small crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling. The Grey Man led them into the large front sitting room furnished with an expensive Persian rug, two huge leather sofas surrounding a coffee table of dark wood and glass, in front of an ornate fireplace and a huge flat screen TV. It was all very opulent and expensive.

  Surge did a sweep of the rest of the house to find every other room was bare. Just the hall and the sitting room were decorated to show nosy neighbours.

  The Grey Man then led them all along the hall to a door under the stairs with an ornate keypad. He told Collins the code which he punched in. The door opened and they all stepped carefully down into the cellar. Collins turned on the lights and could see that this area had been enlarged to house The Grey Man’s tools of his trade. Collins then flicked the main switch and a bank of computers came to life. There was also a camp bed and a small kitchen and bathroom. The Grey Man showed them the emergency exit out through a neighbour’s garden. He then instructed Jonathan to bring the computers on-line, Jonathan punching in the codes and passwords The Grey Man using a fingerprint decoder. They then started up the perimeter security systems complete with CCTV and sensors.

  Surge moved all the kitchen equipment upstairs to the empty main kitchen. He also moved all the stores from the pantry, mainly tins, jars and other foods that could be stored for a long time without going off. He also brought in the fresher food stuff they had bought with them.

  He found towels and soap which he put in the large bathroom upstairs turning on the immersion heater and bedding which he shared between the army bed and front room sofas. The rest he took upstairs to the top bedroom with the best view of the road in, to make himself a nest.

  The Grey Man settled himself into the camp bed and Jonathan and Collins went up to the front room and took a sofa each. All were tired and needed some rest.

  Surge spent some time looking out of the window. He thought about what was to come. He had hated being hunted and now wanted desperately to take the fight to the enemy. This is what they did and had done for the past few decades, but laying here he could feel his age. Now in his mid-fifties, he was as fit as any man could be but both his back and his knees were playing up and he knew he was slower than he should be. He went through a series of stretching exercises, then some sit-ups and press-ups to warm up then worked his way from simple karate Kata’s to more and more advanced moves until his body was flowing and his mind was elsewhere. Then he slowly bought himself back under control and slowed all the movements down finishing with some beautifully smooth, almost ballet type tai chi moves. With sweat rolling off his body, he went to the bathroom where the water had reached temperature. He took a long shower before wrapping himself in blankets and wishing for a deep sleep and the chance to dream, where he hoped his lost love, Pru would be waiting for him.

  The next day Collins, Jonathan and Surge met in the kitchen. There was no sign of The Grey Man and Collins was loath to disturb him, he was after all an old man and needed his sleep. The last few days had been very traumatic for him and they still didn’t know if the operation had worked. If it hadn’t, The Grey Man would need time to adjust and the journey ahead could be long and hard.

  Surge cooked the three of them breakfast of toast and eggs and coffee. After they had eaten he went upstairs to his room to watch the driveway and Jonathan and Collins went into the front room to sit and quietly talk.

  The Grey Man heard them moving about above him and lay in his camp bed, the eye patch still in place. He took stock. Over
the last few days he had learnt a lot about himself. For most of his life he had stood on his own two feet asking nothing of any man, remote and untouchable. As a child he had been abused and that had set him on a long and lonely path, not being part of the world but trying to stand apart, an observer not a participant. Not for him lovers and family and friends, in fact, in this house were the only friends he had ever had, bound together over the years by danger and necessity.

  Being blind had meant he had to rely on other people for the first time in his life, needing someone to take an arm when he walked, expecting others to make his meals and having to ask for help even in the small things that he had taken for granted. The big lesson over this time for him had been how willing his friends were to step up and support him, to do all these things with no expectation of any kind of reward, just out of friendship. He was amazed at how much love and concern they had shown and he realized asking and receiving help had not diminished him in any way, in fact this blindness had in many ways opened his eyes to what he had been missing all these years.

  He wished now that he had learnt this lesson earlier in his life, being involved and part of a group is, he realized, so much better than loneliness and living apart from humanity.

  He thought about the next step. If the operation has failed and he was to remain blind he would embrace it and control it, he still had his mind and knew that there was a lot he would still be able to accomplish. Going on the run, assuming they would do that, was a worry but he had complete faith in his friends. He also had huge wealth and knew he could still live a useful life.

  If the operation was a success, then he would take the fight to those bastards who had attacked him and his friends and they would rue the day they went after The Grey Man, The Assassin and The Surgeon.

  He gingerly raised his hands to the mask and slowly eased it off over his head. He expected everything to be blurry but in fact everything was crystal clear. The room was dim but he could see everything perfectly, better than before. His eyesight must have been deteriorating for some time he reasoned.

  As he lay there, small tears ran out of his eyes and dropped to his pillow. A feeling of elation and joy swept through him. He finally got up, composed himself and went to the bathroom. For the first time in several days he shaved himself and then had a long shower. He went to the wardrobe and there laid out for him, as in every one of his safe houses, were his clean clothes - new shirts still in their protective wrappers, shoes and a rack of grey and blue suits. He dressed carefully and then went over to the main computer. Logging on he pulled up The Firm and started to investigate the damage, then said aloud, “Dear Hugh. Are you in for a shock!”

  Collins placed his ear against the door to the cellar. He could faintly hear the clicking of the computer keyboard which meant The Grey Man must have regained his eyesight. Happiness almost overwhelmed him. He went upstairs to tell Jonathan and Surge, quietly swapping smiles, hugs and handshakes. Finally he went back to the kitchen and on the work surface he took out his guns laying them all out slowly and carefully before stripping, cleaning, oiling and rebuilding each one as he knew they would be needed. “Time to take the battle to the enemy,” he thought.

  At lunchtime The Grey Man came up from the cellar into the front room. “How are you feeling,” said Collins.

  “Great,” said The Grey Man with a small smile. “Never better. Now time for work I think.”

  Jonathan went off to make some sandwiches and when he returned and in between bites The Grey Man said, “I have managed this morning to take re -control of The Firm and sent a message out to all the heads of security in Europe that I am fine but have been in-capacitated by an illness. Apparently no one suspects what Sir Thomas has been up to nor must they if the British Secret Service is to have any credibility in the wider community. We have to take care of this mess ourselves. I have also limited Sir Thomas’ and the British Secret Service’ access to The Firm pending a review which I have set for ten days time with the Director General. This means they cannot use The Firm to hunt us.”

  “Sir Thomas has sent out a private contract on all of our heads. As far as he is concerned the best assassins in Europe are stalking us and he is sitting back waiting for that to happen. I have quietly revoked it without him knowing. That should give us some time as well as some piece of mind.”

  Collins sat back impressed. He had no idea this little old man had so much power.

  “Why did you not do all this before?” said Surge.

  “Because I needed my eyes,” said The Grey Man. “The process I have to go through is complicated and one wrong move would screw everything up. Trust me. If Jonathan could have done this I would have let him.”

  “The more dangerous threat to us in the short term is John Sea. He has circulated descriptions of us throughout the underworld and it would be dangerous for us to walk the streets at present, we need to get this stopped. He owns a large country golf club south of Manchester. I have hacked into his system there and he has just closed it to the public stating a restructure. I have also accessed his telephone calls and it looks like he is calling in a number of his cronies so I assume he is waiting for us.

  “Good,” said Collins. “Let’s not disappoint him.”

  “I suggest,” said The Grey Man. “We give him a few days to stew before we do anything drastic.”

  “Any idea how many men might be there?” asked Jonathan.

  “I would think around thirty,” said The Grey Man. “Any more and they will be falling over themselves. Today is Wednesday so shall we say Saturday is D Day with a briefing tomorrow night? By then I should have everything we need.”

  “Perfect,” said Collins.

  The Grey Man disappeared back down into his cellar and Surge started towards the garage to work out. “Are you coming?” he said to Jonathan.

  “Just need a quick word with my dad.”

  “Sure,” said Surge and disappeared into the garage.

  Jonathan turned to his dad and said, “I want to phone Olivia. Do you think that would be alright?”

  Collins was surprised his son wanted to contact Olivia but decided not to interfere. “Go talk to The Grey Man to see if there is a tap on the line and see what he can do if there is. But be very careful what you say. Do not tell her too much, I do not want to put her in danger.”

  Jonathan went down the stairs into the cellar. The Grey Man was making himself some tea in the small kitchen. He looked perfectly at home.

  “Can you help me?” said Jonathan. “We have a girl running the shop and I want to see if she is okay. Dad thinks they may have tapped the line.”

  “Let’s see,” said The Grey Man and he started to push the computer keys. Somehow he knew the telephone number of the shop which did not surprise Jonathan at all. His fingers flew over the keyboard. “Yes. There is a tap but I can block it for ten minutes without anyone knowing. Would that do?”

  “Perfect,” said Jonathan and he wandered upstairs and went out the front on to the large parking area. He dialed the number not quite sure what he was going to say.

  Olivia answered on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” said Jonathan. “It’s me.”

  “Oh, are you and your dad okay?”

  “Fine. Has anyone else been round?”

  “No. But there have been various cars parked for long periods outside the shop but no new visitors. What is going on? I thought you and your dad were just ordinary people. Why have you got guns?”

  “I cannot tell you over the phone but I promise to tell you everything when I see you next.”

  “Where are you now?” she asked.

  “I cannot say for your sake.”

  Olivia was quiet so Jonathan continued, “Look I promise you this will be over soon but know this, my dad and I are the good guys, we’re not going to be in any trouble. I want to ask you something.”

  “What?”

  “When I get back and I prove to you all is good, would you go out wit
h me?”

  “Go out where?”

  “You know, on a date.”

  “Don’t be silly,” said Olivia. “I have two children. I don’t go on dates. Who would look after them?”

  “Well, they could come with us.”

  There was another long pause.

  “Come and ask me face to face,” said Olivia. “And assuming I am not putting myself or my children in danger, I will let you know.”

  Jonathan saw this as a ‘yes’ and said, “Great. Look if anyone asks, we have not had this talk but I hope to see you soon.”

  “Keep safe,” said Olivia and the phone went dead.

  Jonathan could not keep the smile from his face as he went indoors to find Surge who was exercising.

  “Why are you so happy?” said Surge.

  “No reason,” said Jonathan. “Just think it is a lovely day.”

  Surge looked at the grey clouds outside, felt the cold wind and the hint of rain in the air. “What are you on about?” he said and attacked Jonathan who just had time to block before they circled and the sparring began.

  . . . . . .

  Hugh McDonald logged on to his computer. He would break into The Firm today, he was sure of it. Up came the normal screen and then a new message was displayed, “You are now persona non gratia, no longer welcome”. Underneath this it was signed ‘The Grey Man’. Then the screen went blank and his computer shut down.

  Hugh powered it up again in a panic and typed in his password. Up came a message, ‘password incorrect’. He tried a number of computers but they were all the same. He then tried to log on as someone else but still no joy. He started from the beginning re-registering his details. As soon as he typed in his name the computer shut down. He did this over and over trying all different combinations but getting the same result.